Even more fish...and waffles

This is how bright it was at 10.30pm. The sun doesn't go down at this time of year, so we worked up an appetite for dinner cycling. A tour guide was supplementing his income by leading free Reykjavik bike tours and working for tips. 6 of his tours in the summer were cancelled because there was a drop in demand for tours and more people were showing up and doing their own thing or camping. So he and his wife/girlfriend bought some bikes and decided to give free tours around the city! He took us through Reykjavik neighborhoods, pointing out hotdog stands, ice cream shops, burgers, lobster soup shacks and finally by the ocean and Bjork's house. (you can allllmost see it in the picture. It is a small 2 storey black house, off into the distance)

Also where the new opera house by the sea to rival Sydney's, which is under construction, designed by Olafur Elisasson. We cycled through the university where it costs NOTHING to go to school. Our guide had 7 degrees, 5 of which were masters degrees, costing him a grand total of $300. WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT!!!! Maybe I should move to magical Iceland and get some education. That means that every degree costs about half a monthly MTA metrocard.



Anyway, earlier in the day, a shopkeeper gave us a recommendation for dinner at a place by the lake, Við Tjörnina, which means..."by the lake", that serves meat and fish. They handdraw/write their menus everyday.



It isn't traditional Icelandic food – most people can't stomach real Icelandic food. How about ROTTEN SHARK? Neupe, I'm giving that a miss. BUT, what was special was that this place was decorated like an Icelandic house and we were told that going there was like being invited to dinner in someone's house. So when the bike ride went about 45 minutes longer than anticipated and 40 minutes late, we started getting verrrry antsy. It was 10.45pm and we bolted out of the drop off car even though our guide assured us that Icelanders were very flexible with time and burst into the restaurant apologizing profusely since the kitchen was closing in 15 minutes.







Their menus had some sort of bizarre cover.



And on the inside were more drawings of fish!



All the tables had different decorations and tablecloths. Ours had cross stitch on it. (Hand stitched, NOT printed)



When I went in to make a reservation earlier in the day, I asked what fish just came in and the chef told me that they had gotten some artic char, cod and monkfish fresh in that morning. Candice and I both had the char.



It was HUGE!



It came with some root vegetables and a skinned tomato with some sort of cilantro corridander mix hiding under it. I've never had fish so good and so fresh. I was enticed by their cookbook that was in the lounge where we were waiting for our food and I bought it, captivated by more fish drawings and beautiful photography, despite the fact that I can't understand a single word it says because it is all in Icelandic.

Earlier on the bike ride, I met some people that were looking for the Waffle Wagon earlier in the day. It only makes an appearance late at night, so you have to be patient. It stays open for the late night weekend crowd so it closes whenever people go home early in the morning. 6am? We emerged from the restaurant past midnight, having saved room for waffle.



mmmm tasty waffle. I ate it too quickly to post pictures. But here is their menu: